Pines shift seen

12:15 AM,
Oct. 26, 2012

Atsion Lake in the Wharton State Forest in Shamong is part of the protected area.

Written by

Kirk Moore
| New Jersey Press Media

The state Pinelands Commission "has lost its will to say no" and is in danger of losing its ability to protect forest land, farms and natural resources on 1 million acres in New Jersey, an environmental group warned Thursday.

"We have seen fundamental change in the philosophy of the commission that is very troublesome," said Richard Bizub of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, who introduced the group's annual "state of the Pinelands" report at its offices here.

As specific examples in the past 12 months, the report cites special approvals, called memorandums of agreement or MOAs, that ...